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Democrat John Fetterman won the hard-fought U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania against Republican Mehmet Oz, flipping a seat held by retiring GOP Sen. Pat Toomey.
Fetterman’s victory reinforced other signs that a “red wave” of Republican strength had not materialized, as Democrats held on to several competitive Senate and governor seats.
Which party control the House and Senate is still undecided. Republican J.D. Vance bettered Republicans’ chances of taking the Senate with his win over Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan. But Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan defeated a GOP challenger in the competitive New Hampshire race.
A handful of the closely watched Senate races have yet to be called, including the contest in Georgia between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and GOP challenger Herschel Walker and the Nevada Senate match-up pitting Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto against Republican Adam Laxalt.
- Vulnerable House Democrat survives: Rep. Abigail Spanberger won a competitive race against Republican challenger Yesli Vega in Virginia
- Republican Abbott defeats O’Rourke in Texas: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott held his seat against Democrat Beto O’Rourke
- Trump’s favored Pennsylvania governor candidate loses: Democrat Josh Shapiro will be Pennsylvania’s next governor, defeating Trump-backed Doug Mastriano.
- History made: Maryland voters elected only the third black governor – Democrat Wes Moore – in U.S. history. And Democrat Maura Healey becomes the first woman and first openly gay candidate elected as governor of Massachusetts. And progressive activist Maxwell Alejandro Frost is the first Gen Z member to win a seat in Congress.
- DeSantis, Rubio wins reinforce rightward shift in Florida: Incumbent Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Rubio comfortably won reelection as voter concerns about the economy appeared to prevail over a message emphasized by Democrats focusing on abortion rights.
- Republicans flexed their muscle in gubernatorial races with Chris Sununu (New Hampshire), Ron DeSantis (Florida), Henry McMaster (South Carolina), Mike DeWine (Ohio) and Kay Ivey (Alabama) all winning reelection. In addition, former Trump White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders won the governor’s race in Arkansas.
The latest updates:
Georgia secretary of state: Raffensperger wins
Republican incumbent Brad Raffensperger emerged victorious in the race for Georgia secretary of state, beating out Democratic nominee and former state senator Bee Nguyen.
Raffensperger held a solid lead over Nguyen in the polls throughout the race. The contest to be the state’s chief election officer, a down-ballot race that has previously garnered little attention, has gained increased importance in the wake of the 2020 election and unfounded voter fraud claims.
Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin wins in Michigan
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich, won reelection over Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett and Libertarian candidate Leah Dailey in Michigan’s new 7th Congressional District, ending one of the nation’s most expensive and closely watched House races.
Slotkin was first elected from the 8th District in 2018, when she flipped a Republican seat that President Donald Trump won in 2016, and she was one of the few Democrats to win reelection in a district that voted for Trump in 2020. A former National Security Council and CIA staffer, she opted to run this year in the newly redrawn 7th District, which is centered on Lansing and would have voted narrowly for President Joe Biden had it existed in 2020.
While Slotkin was endorsed by Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., a harsh Trump critic, Barrett was endorsed by former Vice President Mike Pence. Barrett, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, has focused his campaign on less spending, more energy production and criticism of Slotkin’s voting record. Slotkin has struck back at Barrett’s refusal to say if he would have accepted the results of the 2020 election, which he has called an “unknowable thing.”
– Yoori Han, Cronkite News
Democrat Greg Landsman unseats Ohio Rep. Steve Chabot
Democrat Greg Landsman defeated Republican incumbent Steve Chabot in the House race for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District, the AP reported.
Landsman, a former Cincinnati City councilman, won by a little more than 10,000 votes when the race was called.
Chabot represented Hamilton County for 26 years in Congress. This was his first defeat since he lost to Democrat Steve Driehaus in 2008. He regained his seat two years later.
— Rachel Looker
Senate flip:Democrat John Fetterman flips U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania, beating Republican Mehmet Oz
Wisconsin governor: Evers wins reelection
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers won a heated re-election battle against Trump-backed Republican Tim Michels.
A Marquette University Law School poll last week had them tied at 48%.
Evers won the governor’s office by a thin margin in 2018 when he defeated Republican Scott Walker, a 2016 presidential candidate. Evers had been a school district superintendent and served as the statewide superintendent of public instruction in Wisconsin for nearly a decade.
As governor, Evers’s job approval has been slightly underwater in recent Marquette polls, with 46% approving of the job he’s been doing as governor and 48% disapproving.
Michels is backed by former President Donald Trump, who has traveled to Wisconsin to campaign for him. The once low-key owner of Wisconsin’s largest construction company, the eponymous Michels Corp, Michels launched his bid for governor in April — about 15 months after Biden revoked a key permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline, a project for which Michels’ company had a contract to build pump stations. It’s Michels’ third run for office.
– Donovan Slack
Live updates:Wisconsin Election Results 2022
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wins reelection
Democratic incumbent Gov. Gretchen Whitmer claimed victory in her bid for reelection as Michigan governor, successfully fending off a challenge by Republican nominee Tudor Dixon.
The contest, once seen as an easy win for Democrats in a major battleground state, tightened in the final weeks with a last minute push by the Dixon campaign helping her to inch closer in the polls.
Whitmer is a veteran of Michigan politics, serving six years in the state House and eight in the senate before being elected governor in 2018.
Dixon spent years as a conservative TV commentator and producer of conservative news for students.
Dixon, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, denies the results of the 2020 election and has criticized Whitmer for her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whitmer, like many other Democrats, emphasized abortion rights throughout the campaign and criticized Dixon for her no-exceptions stance on the procedure.
– Anna Kaufman
Previously:Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Tudor Dixon facing off in second gubernatorial debate: recap
Republican Sen. Mike Lee wins reelection for Utah seat
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, fended off Independent challenger Evan McMullin for a third term.
With just over half of Utah ballots counted, Lee had more than 55% of the vote compared to McMullin’s 41% when the race was called early Wednesday morning.
— Ella Lee
Voted into history:Wes Moore to be Maryland’s first Black governor; first Gen-Z House member in Fla., more
In victory speech, Fetterman says he’s ‘proud’ of campaign
Donning his signature hoodie, Democrat John Fetterman addressed a raucous crowd of supporters early Wednesday morning after his narrow win against Republican challenger Mehmet Oz in the closely watched Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race.
“We jammed them up, we held the line,” Fetterman said. “I never expected that we were going to turn these red counties blue, but we did what we needed to do.”
In his victory speech, Fetterman said he was “proud” of the issues he ran on, like abortion rights, increased minimum wage and health care.
– Ella Lee
John Fetterman wins Pennsylvania Senate seat
John Fetterman is the projected winner of the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania, beating out Donald Trump-backed celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz and overcoming concerns that his stroke recovery had foreclosed his chances at victory.
Opinion polls showed Oz gaining on Fetterman after the Democratic candidate’s rocky debate performance.
The lieutenant governor suffered a stroke just days before the primary in May and has relied on closed captioning in recent interviews and the debate.
Independent analysts had predicted the Pennsylvania race would be the best chance for Democrats to pick up a Republican-held Senate seat. Fetterman and Oz have been vying for the open seat created by Republican Sen. Pat Toomey’s retirement.
“It’s official. I will be the next U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania,” Fetterman tweeted early Wednesday morning.
– Donovan Slack
Texas Democrat Vicente Gonzalez reelected to House
Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, won his reelection campaign against GOP challenger Mayra Flores to represent Texas’ 34th Congressional District, a setback for Republicans hoping to mobilize Hispanic voters.
With more than 88% of ballots counted, Gonzales led Flores by more than 8 points when the race was called.
Republicans have made inroads with Latino voters in states like Texas and Nevada, where Democrats are locked in tight congressional and statewide elections. But Gonzalez’ win is a blow to those efforts.
– Ella Lee
No victory or concession speeches tonight from Nevada Democrats
Just as the crowd doubled in size at the Democratic ticket’s election party on the Las Vegas Strip, Nevada’s top candidates took the stage to thank their supporters – and encourage them to “go home.”
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Gov. Steve Sisolak said they didn’t expect final election results to be available before the end of the night, but assured the crowd that they “believe strongly when this is done, we’re going to win this thing!”
“It’s going to be a couple of days,” Sisolak said, “so I encourage you to go home, get some sleep, and let the county continue (counting) tomorrow and Thursday. And we’ll be celebrating then.”
Absent of any victory or concession speeches tonight, Cortez Masto and Sisolak walked off the stage together as their supporters cheered. And soon after the two Democrats disappeared, the crowd quickly thinned out.
– Rio Lacanlale
New Hampshire Democrat Chris Pappas reelected to House
Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., won a second term serving New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District.
Pappas led Republican challenger Karoline Leavitt by more than 8 points; just under 80% of the vote had been counted when the race was called.
If Leavitt had won the race, she would have been the second member of Gen Z elected to the U.S. House of Representatives this election cycle.
-Ella Lee
Rep. Henry Cuellar reelected in Texas
Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar won reelection Tuesday, fending off an aggressive play by Republicans to remake the U.S.-Mexico border into a midterm battleground.
Cuellar’s victory over Republican Cassy Garcia holds the line for Democrats in an important stronghold for the party. Garcia was one of three Republican Latina candidates who ran competitive House races along the border after the GOP made inroads with Hispanic voters in 2020.
Cuellar is one of the most conservative Democrats in the House and narrowly survived a primary challenge this spring from a progressive challenger.
– Paul J. Weber and Acacia Coronado, Associated Press
Razor-thin margin in Georgia Senate race
ATLANTA – Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock told supporters late Tuesday he remains confident as Republican opponent Herschel Walker holds a razor-thin lead.
Walker was ahead by less than 7,000 votes as votes continue to be counted as the clock hit midnight.
“We always knew that this race would be close,” Warnock told supporters. “And so that’s where we are. So y’all just hang in there. I’m feeling good.”
With about 88% of the total vote counted thus far, less than half a percentage point separates the two candidates.
– Phillip M. Bailey
North Carolina Sen.-elect Ted Budd: It’s been a long night
WINSTON-SALEM N.C. – It was later than he had hoped, but Ted Budd went before supporters shortly before midnight to claim victory in a U.S. Senate race in North Carolina.
“What an incredible and long night this has been,” Budd said after a closer-than-expected win over Democrat Cheri Beasley.
Budd’s list of thank-yous included Donald Trump, whose endorsement propelled him to the Republican Senate nomination earlier this year.
– David Jackson
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wins reelection in New Mexico
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, won reelection Tuesday over Republican Mark Ronchetti, a local TV weatherman turned politician who built his campaign on criticism of the first-term governor’s performance, according NBC and ABC News
Grisham, who served three terms in the U.S. House, was the first Democratic Latina to hold a governor’s seat at the time of her election in 2018. She ran then on a campaign focused on crime, education and immigration policy, but her reelection was centered on economic issues.
After a failed bid for U.S. Senate in 2020, Ronchetti framed his gubernatorial campaign around Grisham’s track record, blaming Democrats for a faltering economy and specifically blaming the incumbent’s policies for New Mexico’s rank as second in the nation for violent crime. Ronchetti also got a last-minute endorsement this month from former President Donald Trump.
A third candidate, Libertarian Karen Bedonie, a mother of eight and citizen of the Navajo Nation, polled in the single digits throughout the race. She initially hoped to run on the Republican ticket, and is among those that have questioned the validity of the 2020 presidential election.
– Laura Bargfeld, Cronkite News
Democrats win in Hawaii Senate, governor’s races
Democrats easily won their races for the U.S. Senate and governorship in Hawaii.
Josh Green overcame Republican challenger Duke Aiona for governor, while Sen. Brian Schatz winning reelection for his seat against Republican Bob McDermott.
– Ella Lee
Biden makes another round of congratulatory calls
President Joe Biden called made congratulatory calls to the following candidates Tuesday: Sen. Maggie Hassan, Sen. Alex Padilla ,Rep.-elect Seth Magaziner, Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Biden also phoned Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, along with Wes Moore, Maryland’s newly elected governor, and Emilia Sykes, who rain in Ohio’s newly redrawn 13th Congressional District – a closely watched tossup election.
– Kathleen Wong and Christal Hayes
Democrat Janet Mills reelected as Maine governor
Maine Gov. Janet Mills was reelected to the state’s governorship, beating her Republican opponent, Paul LePage. This will be Mill’s second term as Maine governor, according to NBC and CBS news.
Mills became the first woman elected as the state’s governor in 2018 when she was first elected. She also was the first woman to serve as the state’s attorney general, an office she served twice.
– Sarah Elbeshbishi
In victory speech, Hassan offers credit for Bolduc
Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan took the stage to an enthusiastic, and teary-eyed, crowd after NBC and CNN called the race in her favor.
“Thank you to all the wonderful friends that are here tonight,” Hassan said, after continued chants of “Maggie” and “Six more years” from the crowd. “I love you too!” Hassan said.
Hassan paused to credit Republican Don Bolduc for a hard-fought race, but not before shushing boos upon mention of his name.
“No guys. No,” said Hassan, stopping the crowd. “I want to thank Don Bolduc for his service to our country. We share a love of country.”
– Ken Tran
Kiggans declares victory in Virginia
Republican Jen Kiggans declared victory in the hotly contested House race in Virginia, unseating Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria.
Speaking at her campaign’s election watch party at the Westin Virginia Beach Town Center, Kiggans gave a message of unity in her victory speech.
“I believe it’s important to focus on the things that unite us, and not what divides us,” she said.
Kiggans wished her opponent well. “Although we may differ in our political ideologies, we certainly share a love for our navy and a love for our country,” she said.
– Christina van Waasbergen
Democrat Ron Wyden reelected to Oregon U.S. Senate seat
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., won his reelection bid against Republican challenger Jo Rae Perkins, according to multiple reports.
Wyden, who led Perkins by more than 13 percentage points when the race was called, has been in Congress for more than 40 years overall, assuming his Senate seat in 1996.
– Ella Lee
Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul wins New York governor race
Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul won the New York governor’s race against Republican challenger Lee Zeldin, NBC and ABC reported.
Hochul unexpectedly became the state’s first female governor in 2021, after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned amid sexual harassment allegations.
– Rachel Looker
Sen. Lindsey Graham: ‘Definitely not a Republican wave’
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said a “red wave” election didn’t appear to be materializing after Republicans were projected to lose Senate races in New Hampshire and Colorado, but he still predicted Republicans would take control of the upper chamber.
“Definitely not a Republican wave,” Graham told NBC. “I think we’re going to be at 51, 52 when it’s all said and done.”
– Joey Garrison
Election analysis: Even with Kemp, Vance wins, are midterm results more red ripple than wave?
Republican JD Vance wins Ohio Senate seat over Democrat Tim Ryan
Trump-backed Republican author JD Vance won the Senate race in Ohio, beating Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan, whose campaign had a fundraising edge but lacked national party support, according to NBC and ABC News.
The race has been one of the tightest in the country in recent polling and is a key test of the influence former President Donald Trump still wields. Trump endorsed Vance and went to Ohio to support him, telling rally goers in September that “The entire MAGA movement is for J.D. Vance.”
It’s also a bellwether for which way national tides are turning on Election Day. The Senate seat has been occupied since 2011 by Republican Sen. Rob Portman, who’s retiring.
– Donovan Slack
Democrat Patty Murray wins reelection to Senate
Democratic Washington Sen. Patty Murray won reelection to the Senate against Republican opponent Tiffany Smiley after leading Smiley by nearly 15% with 56% of the precincts reporting, according to multiple reports.
Murray will be serving her sixth term in the Senate. While in the Senate, Murray was the first female chair for the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Budget Committee.
Recent polls showing the race neck-and-neck suggested the veterans lawmaker was in the fight of her political life but an upset never materialized on election day.
– Sarah Elbeshbishi
President Biden congratulates Democratic winners
President Joe Biden has completed congratulatory calls to Senator Chris Van Hollen, Senator Michael Bennet, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, and Representative Jennifer Wexton.
Van Hollen of Maryland was reelected to his second Senate term, beating out Republican Chris Chaffee.
Bennet defended his Colorado Senate seat over Republican opponent Joe O’Dea for his third term in office. The race was competitive, according to multiple reports.
Billionaire J.B. Pritzker swiftly beat Republican challenger Darren Bailey for reelection as Illinois Governor.
In a tight race, Virginia Democrat Jennifer Wexton won reelection to the U.S. House over Republican Hung Cao. This will be Wexton’s third term.
– Kathleen Wong
Republican Ted Budd wins North Carolina Senate seat
Trump-endorsed Ted Budd won the race for a North Carolina Senate seat, defeating Democrat and former state Supreme Court chief justice Cheri Beasley.
Coming into tonight, the three-term GOP congressman had a five-point lead over Beasley in a poll by Emerson College Polling and The Hill, according NBC and ABC News.
Theirs was among the most competitive Senate races this election cycle, seen as a potential factor in Republican efforts to gain the majority. The North Carolina seat was up for grabs for either party, with Republican Richard Burr retiring after his fourth term as Senator.
– Savannah Kuchar
Shapiro win brings relief for Pennsylvania Democrats
SWARTHMORE, Pa.- Bonnee B. Bentum feels safer tonight, knowing Democrat Josh Shapiro won the governor’s seat and blocked a Republican supermajority in Pennsylvania that could have threatened abortion rights and voting rights.
She said this as someone who works for a state Democratic senator, serves as an executive board member of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, and mostly as a Black woman.
Bentum pointedly describes what was at stake: “My life, my daughter’s life…to live freely.”
– Candy Woodall
New Maryland voter choses digital over paper vote
TUXEDO, Md. – Bill Aylin is a lifelong voter, but he was still surprised when he voted for the first time in Maryland after moving from Georgia.
“All of Georgia is digital and this one is mostly paper,” said Aylin, who found things at the Judith P. Hoyer Early Childhood Center “radically” different from what he was used to. But the Prince George’s County polling place also offered two digital machines, so he chose to vote on one of those.
He said he feel it’s his duty to vote, and that he found the House and Senate races to be the most important. Outside of that there were some questions about bonds and borrowing money that drew his attention.
“I’m fine with schools borrowing money,” Aylin said. “I’m not fine with it for the government.”
– Haley Smilow, Cronkite News
Republican Brian Kemp reelected as Georgia governor
Republican incumbent Brian Kemp won the race for Georgia governor, defeating Democratic candidate and now two-time opponent Stacey Abrams, according to NBC and ABC News.
The two faced off once before back in 2018, with Kemp narrowly claiming victory after a runoff election. This gubernatorial contest has been one of the most closely watched this midterm cycle as both candidates are major players in their parties.
The tightly fought race, along with Sen. Raphael Warnock’s bid to keep his seat in Congress, was expected to serve as a litmus test of just how strong the Democratic coalition in Georgia is and whether it can withstand an election largely viewed as a referendum on President Joe Biden, whose approval ratings have suffered throughout his second year.
– Anna Kaufman
Brian Kemp’s win: 3 takeaways from the Georgia governor’s race
Virginia Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria unseated by Jennifer Kiggans
Republican state Sen. Jennifer Kiggans unseated incumbent Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., Tuesday in Virginia’s 2nd District, which gained a more Republican tilt in redistricting but was still considered a toss-up.
Both Luria and Kiggans are Navy veterans who campaigned on promises to fight for defense and veterans issues.
Kiggans, who currently represents Legislative District 7 in the Tidewater region of the state, positioned herself as the candidate to restore American strength that she said has been injured by the policies of the Biden administration – policies she said Luria continually backed.
Luria, a two-term House member, is also a member of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. A main thrust of her campaign was what she called Kiggans’ failure to discuss her stance on results of the 2020 election.
– Emilee Miranda, Cronkite News
Rose Rambles... 